I hope crafting does have an impact, so that there's a point to it. "Worlds First" and "Server First" kills don't matter anyway. I think gating all of the best gear behind content that only a few percent of the playerbase will ever experience is stupid and downright disrespectful to the rest of the playerbase, which is the vast majority of it. The fact that people could ultra-meld their gear and clear content early is awesome, because it means crafting had a purpose and was useful. Sure, it sucks that planned progression was screwed up, but that's why you should NEVER focus on just ONE way to achieve a goal in MMOs. The developers should have not only known this could happen, but have been prepared for it and totally OK with it, as it allowed more of the game's mechanics and progression to play a role in end-game, instead of JUST end-game.